I love it. I can go places. I drive on it, often aggressively merging and switching lanes. If I want to leave Philly or return to Philly, this is the way. It is the inevitable transportation institution. Infallible and overwhelmingly constant, the Schuylkill expressway is an accepted and unquestioned facet of Philadelphia life.
Today, I’m questioning its existence. What a horrible and miserable monstrosity. An apocalyptic road of death, Ill health and constant societal anxiety. The Schuylkill expressway epitomizes the tragic endgame of modern American life, like so many others of its ilk, the time has come to seriously question, challenge and re-imagine this grotesque, loud and abysmal addiction.
Its love/hate right? I know, my call for the elimination of The Schuylkill expressway is radical and extreme, and I hope I am not alone in such a proclamation, however the time has come to create big ideas and greater visions for our society.
Immediately, from a hands -on perspective, the Schuylkill Expressway is a very serious problem for Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park. It is blocking every natural ravine, creating multiple backups of stream runoff, choking out the streams and creating weird and chaotic environmental conditions for much of the park.
We, as a collective society need to start thinking seriously about what can we do to not have the Schuylkill expressway in our lives. I know for us it is the most set-in -stone *forever* thing we use daily, depend on for our livelihoods, and deal with constantly. But when we are on it we are miserable. Full of anxiety. We become aggressive, enraged, despondent.
I can imagine a modern society living without the Schuylkill Expressway. I have ideas. This conversation will be ongoing!
